I went an entire month without drinking — here's what I learned

My last night of drinking,
New Year's Eve.My last night of
drinking, New Year's Eve.

Forbidding myself to drink alcohol for four full weeks tested the
limits of my self-control.

In moderate amounts, alcohol can help people relax after a
long day or feel more comfortable socializing. Some studies even
suggest that red wine can
fight the effects of aging, not unlike unicorn blood.

My beer, wine, and spirit-free January, more widely
known as Dry January or "Drynuary," was alienating
and often boring and, most importantly, made eating less
enjoyable. There's nothing like a glass of malbec with a juicy
steak. I almost fell off the wagon multiple times ... every
weekend.

Regardless of the struggle, I'd recommend it — if only for the
affirmation that I could. Asit turns out, the
health benefits aren't as steadfast as everyone thinks.

'Why?'

The first question to arise when I refused a beer
or bourbon in favor of water was usually "Why?"

I'd respond by rambling off some explanation about the
scientific and medical benefits of an alcohol-free month, but
upon studying the literature now, I've found the jury's
still out.

In 2014, 14 members of the British science magazine
New Scientist decided to
conduct a little experiment where they stopped or cut
back on drinking. For the 10 who stopped drinking alcohol
entirely, benefits included weight loss, improved sleep,
improved liver health, reduced cholesterol — a lot of
good stuff.

Because of its minuscule sample size, though — not to
mention several dozen other variables they failed
to control for — the staff admitted that
the results didn't offer many takeaways aside
from a "hugely encouraging start."

Another oft-repeated benefit of not drinking hinges on sleep
quality — people say that they sleep better when
they don't drink. While alcohol can help people fall asleep
more quickly, it also reduces
rapid-eye movement, or REM, sleep, widely considered the most
restful and important stage of sleep.

An example of sleep
patterns.Wikimedia
Commons

"If you drink alcohol before bed, it actually makes you fall
asleep faster and sleep deeper, but then your body starts to
metabolize that alcohol, and you'll go through withdrawal,"
Thomas Roth, director of theHenry Ford Sleep
Research Center, told Business Insider. "Your sleep will be
terribly disrupted."

In typical studies looking at the relationship between
alcohol and sleep, participants drink alcohol 30
to 60 minutes before bed. As a result, blood-alcohol level, or
BAC, usually peaks at "lights
out." Thus, the negative effects observed likely stem
from imbibing so soon before sleep, not necessarily from drinking
alcohol in general.

"I don't know of anybody that's done studies looking at alcohol
consumption, let's say, in the afternoon and its effects on
sleep," Roth said. "If you drink two drinks a day, that's not
going to make your sleep better or worse."

Personally, my sleep fluctuated, as it usually does. Some nights,
I drifted off just a few minutes after my head hit the pillow.
While others, I tossed and turned for hours. I also noticed
myself craving sweets more often, potentially to offset the
sugar I lost by giving up alcohol.

Large-scale studies have shown one benefit of Drynuary, though:
After successfully abstaining from alcohol for at
least a month, a majority
of people continued
to drink less often as well as fewer
drinks, even
six months later. Most also described having an easier
time refusing alcohol and showed lower dependence scores on
the 10-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
(AUDIT).

Regardless of the murky
science, multitudes of people say they feel better
after laying off the sauce. "More energy, more cash in the pocket
and dropped over half a stone! What's not to like about this?"
writes Patrick, one of the more than 2 million participants
who pledged a Dry
January last year.

While I didn't keep
track of my weight or finances, alcohol does cost money and have
calories. And I did feel comfortable enough — with my bank
account and my weight — to take an impromptu trip to Miami and
don a bikini on the beach.

Next year, a new generation of dry-seekers will undertake
the challenge. I don't know if I'll count myself among them,
but I can say experimenting with one-twelfth of my year
booze-free paid off in the end — knowing you hate failing
more than you love drinking feels pretty good.